Gary Player never minces his words, so perhaps it’s no surprise that he went to town by sharing his ‘disgust’ at what he witnessed at the Ryder Cup.
Player never competed in a Ryder Cup, of course, but he has always admired the competition…up until now that is.
It’s not uncommon to hear Player criticize modern day golfers or indeed the game as a whole these days.
So it was no surprise to hear him let loose on certain things which he deemed to be unacceptable at Bethpage Black.
The US fans’ behavior at the Ryder Cup turned nasty midway through day two, with European duo Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry bearing the brunt of it.
And now Player has made a stunning admission about his feelings on the Ryder Cup as a whole, admitting that only one American player deserved any credit for the class he showed.
Gary Player praises only one American who showed class at the Ryder Cup
Player spoke exclusively to The Palm Beach Post about the Ryder Cup, and shared some real home truths.
Scottie Scheffler was praised by Player for the class he showed at Bethpage, but the South African golfing legend vented his anger after witnessing numerous examples of unacceptable behavior.
Player has predicted that Scheffler will win the Grand Slam at some point in his career, so he’s clearly a big fan of the American.
However, Player thinks the world number one was the only positive to come out of the Ryder Cup for Team USA.
He said: “I look at it and I’m in a state of shock. I think, what would Ben Hogan have said, you know? What would Byron Nelson have said? What would Arnold Palmer…If Arnold Palmer saw that today.
“I was disgusted,“ he later added. “So to me, the Ryder Cup is a shambles.“
Player went on to say: “I love the fact that they say ‘USA, USA.’ I love how the British respond in their way. I think that’s exciting. But the Ryder Cup to me is the worst event in the world.
“And to see the (PGA of America) hire a lady to stand on the tee — if you want to call her a lady — and saying ‘F you Rory. F this European team.’ Are we crazy? And then the head of the (PGA of America) says, what was so serious about it?
“Golf has never been that,” Player said. “Golf has been a gentleman’s sport. So, and to see that, and to see the players using this ‘F’ word, I mean, the whole lot.“
Player cited two players he “admired” for their class: Scottie Scheffler of the U.S. and Europe’s Tommy Fleetwood.
The nine-time major champion clearly had a dim view of the goings-on at Bethpage Black.
And something Player said specifically should really strike a chord with golf fans the world over.
Golf is a gentleman’s sport, and that seems to have been lost somewhere along the line.
Gary Player shocked fans by saying Scottie Scheffler isn’t the world’s best player
Back in August, Player made a very big claim about Scheffler, by suggesting that someone else is actually the best golfer in the world.
That accolade goes to Jordan Spieth, as far as Player is concerned.
He said: “Jordan Spieth I think is the best golfer in the world but in my opinion he was taught the wrong thing. And he just went downhill. He went downhill. If you had a man like Ben Hogan teaching Jordan Spieth he would be the best in the world. He’s such a competitor, such a wonderful man. A wonderful guy for golf, the best short game, best course management but he just can’t hit the ball. That is a tragedy.“
Spieth was obviously the best golfer in the world a decade ago, but he hasn’t won since April 2022 and the truth of the matter is that he isn’t on the same level as Scheffler is.
The 29-year-old has won 13 PGA Tour events since March 2024 – the same number Spieth has to his name in his entire career.
Scheffler is streets ahead of everyone else right now, in spite of his poor record at the Ryder Cup last month.
However, as Player said, the man from Dallas, Texas, still showed plenty of class in the face of adversity, and that’s why he’s such a great role model for young players.
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